List of University of Nebraska–Lincoln people

This list of University of Nebraska–Lincoln people includes notable graduates, instructors, and administrators affiliated with University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Three Nobel Prize winners have been associated with the university.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Nobel laureates

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
George Beadle (1903–89)	B.S. 1926; M. S. 1927	Scientist, 1958 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine winner, 7th President of University of Chicago	[1][2]
Donald J. Cram (1919–2001)	M. S. 1942	Chemist, 1987 Nobel Prize in Chemistry winner	[3]
Alan J. Heeger (b. 1936)	B.S. 1957; Honorary Ph.D. 1999	Chemist, 2000 Nobel Prize for Chemistry winner	[4]

Pulitzer Prize winners

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
Willa Cather (1873–1947)	B.A. 1895	Writer, 1923 Pulitzer Prize winner	[5]
Karen Blessen (b. 1951)	B. F. A. 1973	Graphic artist, 1989 Pulitzer Prize winner	[6]
Ted Kooser (b. 1939)	M. A. 1968	Poet, 13th United States Poet Laureate, 2005 Pulitzer Prize winner	[7]
Marjie Lundstrom (b. 1956)	B.A. 1978	Journalist, 1991 Pulitzer Prize winner	[8]
Karl Shapiro (1913–2000)	Professor	Poet, 5th United States Poet Laureate, 1945 Pulitzer Prize winner

Academics

College founders, presidents, and deans

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
Edith Abbott (1876–1957)	B.S. 1901	Economist, social worker, founder of University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration	[9]
Gene Budig (1939–2020)	B.A. 1962; M. A. 1963; Ph.D. 1967	Baseball executive, academic administrator (Kansas, Illinois State, West Virginia)	[10]
Edward C. Elliott (1874–1960)	B.S. 1895; M. A. 1897	Academic administrator (Montana, Purdue)
Miguel Angel Escotet	Ph.D. 1972	Social scientist, academic administrator (Texas at Brownsville)	[11]
Ronnie D. Green (b. 1961)	Ph.D. 1988	Academic administrator (Nebraska)	[12]
John Jasinski (b. 1962)	Ph.D. 1996	Academic administrator (Northwest Missouri State)
Alvin Saunders Johnson (1874–1971)	M. A. 1898	Economist, founder of The New School
Charles L. Littel (c. 1886–1966)	B.A. 1912	founder and president of Junior College of Bergen County and Centralia Junior College
James Milliken (b. 1957)	B.A. 1979	Academic administrator (Nebraska, Texas)	[13]
Roscoe Pound (1870–1964)	B.A. 1888; M. A. 1889; Ph.D. 1897	Legal scholar and educator, dean of law (Nebraska, Harvard)	[14][15]
William Ruud (b. 1952)	B.A.; Ph.D.	Academic administrator (Northern Iowa, Shippensburg, Marietta)	[16]

Professors and scholars

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
Robert A. Alberty (1921–2014)	B.S. 1943; M. S. 1944	Biophysical chemist	[17]
Hartley Burr Alexander (1873–1939)	B.A. 1896	Philosopher, writer, iconographer; wrote symbolism and inscriptions in the Nebraska State Capitol	[18]
George Andreasen (1934–1989)	B.S.; M. S.	Orthodontist, inventor of the Nitinol wire	[19]
George Willis Botsford (1862–1917)	B.A. 1884; M. A. 1889	Greek and Roman classicist	[20]
Rosa Bouton (1860–1951)	B.S. 1891; M. A. 1893	Chemist
Norma Elia Cantú (b. 1947)	Ph.D. 1982	Writer	[21]
Edwin H. Colbert (1905–2001)	B.A.	Vertebrate paleontologist, author	[19]
Nancy Coover Andreasen (b. 1938)	B.A.	Neuroscientist, neurophysicist	[22]
Donald Cox (b. 1937)	B.S. 1959; M. S. 1960	Electrical engineer	[23]
Frank W. Cyr (1900–1995)	B.A. 1923	Rural education researcher, "father of the yellow school bus"	[24][25]
Harold Eugene Edgerton (1903–90)	B.S. 1925	Electrical engineer, stroboscope pioneer, photographer	[26]
Loren Eiseley (1907–77)	B.A. 1933; B.S. 1933	Anthropologist, philosopher, writer	[27]
Rollins A. Emerson (1873–1947)	B.S. 1897	Geneticist	[28]
Mohammad Kabir Hassan (b. 1963)	M. A. 1987; Ph.D. 1990	Economist	[29]
Jay Keasling	B.S. 1986	Synthetic biologist	[30]
Derrick Norman Lehmer (1867–1938)	B.A. 1893; M. A. 1896	Number theorist
John L. Loos (1918–2011)	B.A. 1939; M. A. 1940	Lewis and Clark historian	[31][32]
John Norman (b. 1931)	B.A. 1953	Author, philosopher
Dirk Obbink (b. 1957)	B.A. 1978	Papyrologist, classicist
Loreen Olson	Ph.D.	Professor of Communications at UNC Greensboro	[33]
Londa Schiebinger (b. 1952)	B.A. 1974	Researcher	[34]
Bernice Slote (1913–1983)	M. A. 1941	Editor of Prairie Schooner, poet	[35]
Don Welch (1932–2016)	Ph.D. 1966	Poet, professor of English literature at University of Nebraska at Kearney	[36]

Arts, design and entertainment

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
Ronald Barnes (1927–97)	B. M. 1950	Carillonist	[37]
Robert Beerbohm (b. 1952)	B.A. 1972	Comic book historian
Benjamin A. Botkin (1901–75)	Ph.D. 1931	Folklorist	[38]
Kirk Bovill (b. 1961)	B.S. 1984	Actor, writer, producer	[39]
Dan Brown (b. 1990)	Did not graduate	Blogger and YouTube personality, founder of Pogopalooza
Johnny Carson (1925–2005)	B.A. 1949	Host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson; seven-time Emmy winner; Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient; Kennedy Center Honors Lifetime Achievement Award recipient	[40]
Bruce Conner (1933–2008)	B. F. A. 1956	Artist	[41]
Aaron Douglas (1899–1979)	B.A. 1922	Painter, illustrator and visual arts educator; "the father of African-American art"	[42]
Jeff Draheim (b. 1963)	B.A. 1985	Film editor	[43]
Alice Righter Edmiston (1874-1964)		Artist
Norman Ericson (1932–2011)	B.A. 1954	Biblical scholar
Charles L. Fletcher (b. 1971)	B.A. 1996	Architect and interior designer
Barbara Hendricks (b. 1948)	B.A. 1969	Opera, recital, and jazz singer; Goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Ruth Rosekrans Hoffman (1926–2007)	B. F. A. 1948	Artist and children's book illustrator
Ray Howlett (b. 1940)	B.A. 1963	Artist	[44]
Weldon Kees (1914–55)	B.A. 1935	Poet, abstract expressionist, jazz pianist, composer, photographer, and filmmaker
Jaime King (b. 1979)	Did not graduate	Actress, model	[45]
Stephanie Kurtzuba (b. 1972)	Did not graduate	Actress	[46]
Thomas D. Mangelsen (b. 1946)	B.S. 1967	Wildlife photographer, conservationist
Clare Cooper Marcus (b. 1934)	B.A. 1952	Landscape architecture educator
Charles F. McAfee	B.Arch 1958	Architect, housing activist	[47]
Sarah Wool Moore (1846–1911)		Artist and art teacher	[48]
Chad Myers	B.A. 1985	Meteorologist
Conor Oberst (b. 1980)	Did not graduate	Lead vocalist of Bright Eyes
Bryan Odell (b. 1990)	Did not graduate	Music journalist, YouTube personality	[49]
Joel Sartore (b. 1962)	B.A. 1985	National Geographic photographer	[50]
Dan Schlissel (b. 1970)	B.S. 1993	Record producer; founder of Stand Up! Records and -ismist Recordings	[51]
Shelley Smith (b. 1958)	B.A. 1981	SportsCenter correspondent
James Valentine (b. 1978)	B.A. 2004	Lead guitarist of Maroon 5	[52]
Dan Whitney (b. 1963)	Did not graduate	Comedian (stage name "Larry the Cable Guy")	[53]
Jeff Zeleny (b. 1973)	B.A. 1996	CNN senior White House correspondent	[54]
Golden J. Zenon Jr. (1929–2006)	B.Arch 1955	Architect	[55][56]

Business

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
Warren Buffett (b. 1930)	B.S. 1950	Investor, philanthropist; chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway	[57]
Jack Cole (1920–2007)	B.S./B.A.	Entrepreneur, inventor of the reverse telephone directory
Harry Culver (1880–1946)	Did not graduate	Real estate agent; founder of Culver City, California
William E. Galbraith (1926–2012)	B.S. 1949	National Commander of the American Legion	[58]
Vinod Gupta (b. 1946)	M. S. 1969; M. B.A. 1971	Investor, philanthropist; founder of infoGROUP and Vinod Gupta School of Management	[59]
Mohammad Kabir Hassan (b. 1963)	M. S. 1987; Ph.D. 1990	Economist	[60]
C. Edward McVaney (1940–2020)	B.S.	Founder and CEO of JD Edwards

Law and politics

Heads of state

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
Kārlis Ulmanis (1877–1942)	B.S. 1909	1st Prime Minister of Latvia, 4th President of Latvia	[61][62]

United States cabinet secretaries and leaders

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
James Abdnor (1923–2012)	B.S. 1945	15th Administrator of the Small Business Administration, Senator from South Dakota, Representative from South Dakota, 30th Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota	[63]
Claude M. Bolton Jr. (1945–2015)	B.S. 1969; Honorary Ph.D. 2007	Air Force major general, 3rd Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology	[64]
Herbert Brownell Jr. (1904–96)	B.A. 1924	Lawyer, 62nd Attorney General
G. Bradford Cook (1937–2014)	Law 1961	18th chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission	[65]
Hal Daub (b. 1941)	J. D. 1966	Chairman of the Social Security Advisory Board, Representative from Nebraska, 48th mayor of Omaha, Nebraska	[66]
Stanley K. Hathaway (1924–2005)	Law 1950	40th Secretary of the Interior, 27th governor of Wyoming	[67]
Richard Lee McCall Jr. (b. 1942)	Did not graduate	14th Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs	[68]
John R. McCarl (1879–1940)	B.S. 1903	1st Comptroller General
Jan Meyers (1928–2019)	B.A. 1951	10th chair of the House Committee on Small Business, Representative from Kansas	[69]
Patsy Mink (1927–2002)	Did not graduate	3rd Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, Representative from Hawaii	[70]
Norbert Tiemann (1924–2012)	B.S. 1949	13th administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, 32nd governor of Nebraska
Clayton Yeutter (1930–2017)	B.S. 1952; J. D. 1963; Ph.D. 1966	23rd Secretary of Agriculture, 9th Trade Representative	[71]

Governors

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
Victor Emanuel Anderson (1902–62)		28th governor of Nebraska, mayor of Lincoln
Ralph G. Brooks (1898–1960)	Law 1926	29th governor of Nebraska, 19th chair of the National Governors Association	[72]
Robert Leroy Cochran (1886–1963)	B.S. 1910	24th governor of Nebraska	[73]
Jonathan M. Davis (1871–1943)	Did not graduate	22nd governor of Kansas	[74]
Dwight Griswold (1893–1954)	B.A. 1914	25th governor of Nebraska, Senator from Nebraska	[75]
Elmer Holt (1884–1945)	1902	10th governor of Montana	[76]
Bob Kerrey (b. 1943)	B.S. 1966	35th governor of Nebraska, Senator from Nebraska; Medal of Honor, Bronze Star Medal, and Purple Heart recipient	[77]
Samuel Roy McKelvie (1881–1956)	Did not graduate	19th governor of Nebraska, 13th lieutenant governor of Nebraska	[78]
Adam McMullen (1872–1959)	1896	21st governor of Nebraska, 12th chair of the National Governors Association	[79]
Frank B. Morrison (1905–2004)	Law 1931	31st governor of Nebraska
Ben Nelson (b. 1941)	B.A. 1963; M. A. 1965; J. D. 1970	37th governor of Nebraska, Senator from Nebraska	[80]
Val Peterson (1903–83)	M.A. 1931	26th governor of Nebraska, 4th ambassador to Denmark, 16th ambassador to Finland	[81]
George L. Sheldon (1870–1960)	1892	14th governor of Nebraska	[82]
Charles Thone (1924–2018)	Law 1950	34th governor of Nebraska, Representative from Nebraska	[83]
Arthur J. Weaver (1873–1945)	Law 1896	22nd governor of Nebraska	[84]
Toryalai Wesa (b. 1949)	M. S. 1977	8th governor of Kandahar (Afghanistan)

United States Senators

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
Hazel Abel (1888–1966)	B.A. 1908	Senator from Nebraska	[85]
Elmer Burkett (1867–1935)	Law 1893	Senator from Nebraska, Representative from Nebraska	[86]
Deb Fischer (b. 1951)	B.S. 1987	Senator from Nebraska	[87]
Richard C. Hunter (1884–1941)	B.A. 1909	Senator from Nebraska, 22nd Nebraska Attorney General	[88]
David Karnes (1948–2020)	B.S. 1971	Senator from Nebraska	[89]
Kenneth S. Wherry (1892–1951)	B.A. 1914	7th Senate minority leader, Senator from Nebraska	[90]

United States Representatives

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
Doug Bereuter (b. 1939)	B.A. 1961	Representative from Nebraska	[91]
Lawrence Brock (1906–68)	B.S. 1929	Representative from Nebraska	[92]
Howard Buffett (1903–1964)	B.S. 1925	Representative from Nebraska, father of Warren Buffett	[93]
Chris Carney (b. 1959)	Ph.D. 1993	Representative from Pennsylvania, Navy commander	[94]
Jackson B. Chase (1890–1974)	LL. B. 1912	Representative from Nebraska	[95]
Marian W. Clarke (1880–1953)	Did not graduate	Representative from New York	[96]
Harry B. Coffee (1890–1972)	1913	Representative from Nebraska	[97]
Oren S. Copeland (1887–1958)	B.A. 1907	Representative from Nebraska	[98]
George E. Danielson (1915–98)	B.A. 1937; J. D. 1939	Representative from California	[99]
Robert Dinsmore Harrison (1897–1977)	Ph.D. 1934	Representative from Nebraska	[100]
George H. Heinke (1882–1940)	Law 1908	Representative from Nebraska	[101]
Fred Gustus Johnson (1876–1951)	Law 1903	Representative from Nebraska, 17th Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska	[102]
Walter Judd (1898–1994)	M. D. 1923	Representative from Minnesota	[103]
Thomas F. Konop (1879–1964)	Law 1904	Representative from Wisconsin	[104]
John Henry Kyl (1919–2002)	B.A. 1947	Representative from Iowa	[105]
Henry Carl Luckey (1868–1956)	Law 1912	Representative from Nebraska	[106]
John A. Maguire (1870–1939)	Law 1899	Representative from Nebraska	[107]
Charles F. McLaughlin (1887–1976)	B.A. 1908	Representative from Nebraska, federal judge of the District Court for the District of Columbia	[108]
David Henry Mercer (1857–1919)	B.S. 1880	Representative from Nebraska	[109]
Howard Shultz Miller (1879–1970)	Law 1900	Representative from Kentucky	[110]
John N. Norton (1878–1960)	B.S. 1903	Representative from Nebraska	[111]
Ernest M. Pollard (1869–1939)	B.S. 1893	Representative from Nebraska	[112]
Robert G. Simmons (1891–1969)	Law 1915	Representative from Nebraska, 23rd Chief Justice of Nebraska	[113]
Adrian Smith (b. 1970)	B.S. 1993	Representative from Nebraska	[114]
Virginia D. Smith (1911–2006)	B.S. 1936	Representative from Nebraska	[115]
John Hyde Sweet (1880–1964)	B.A. 1899	Representative from Nebraska	[116]
Lee Terry (b. 1962)	B.A. 1984	Representative from Nebraska	[117]
Phillip Hart Weaver (1919–89)	B.A. 1940	Representative from Nebraska	[118]

Federal judges

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
C. Arlen Beam (b. 1930)	B.S. 1951; J. D. 1965	Federal judge of the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, district judge of the District Court for the District of Nebraska	[119]
John Robert Brown (1909–1993)	B.A. 1930	Federal judge of the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit	[120]
L. Steven Grasz (b. 1961)	B.S. 1984; J. D. 1989	Federal judge of the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit	[121]
Harvey M. Johnsen (1895–1975)	LL. B. 1919; B.A. 1921	Federal judge of the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit	[122]
John Coleman Pickett (1896–1983)	LL. B. 1922	Federal judge of the Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit	[123]
William J. Riley (b. 1947)	B.A. 1969; J. D. 1972	Federal judge of the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit	[124]
Donald Roe Ross (1922–2013)	J. D. 1948	Federal judge of the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit	[125]

Nebraska representatives

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
John Adams Jr. (1906–99)	B.S. 1927; Law 1929	Member of Nebraska Legislature, Army captain and judge advocate	[126]
Roy Baker (b. 1945)	B.S. 1967; M. Ed. 1970; Ed. D. 1977	Member of Nebraska Legislature	[127]
Tom Baker (b. 1948)	B.S. 1971	Member of Nebraska Legislature	[128]
Chris Beutler (b. 1944)	Law 1973	Member of Nebraska Legislature, 51st Mayor of Lincoln	[129]
Ardyce Bohlke (1943–2013)	1965	Member of Nebraska Legislature, speech pathologist	[130]
Tom Brandt (b. 1959)	B.S. 1982	Member of Nebraska Legislature	[131]
Lydia Brasch (b. 1953)	B.A. 1989	Member of Nebraska Legislature	[132]
Kermit Brashear (b. 1944)	B.A. 1966; J. D. 1969	Speaker of Nebraska Legislature	[133]
Jon Bruning (b. 1969)	B.A. 1990; J. D. 1994	Member of Nebraska Legislature, 32nd Nebraska Attorney General	[134]

Nebraska judges

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
David K. Arterburn (b. 1957)	B.A. 1978; M. A. 1982; J. D. 1985	Judge of the Nebraska Court of Appeals	[135]
Riko E. Bishop (b. 1956)	J. D. 1992	Judge of the Nebraska Court of Appeals	[136]
William G. Cambridge (1931–2004)	B.S. 1953; J. D. 1955	District judge of the District Court for the District of Nebraska	[137]
Laurie Smith Camp (1953–2020)	J. D. 1977	District judge of the District Court for the District of Nebraska	[138]
Kristine Cecava	Law 1976	District judge of the District Court for the District of Nebraska	[139]
E. B. Chappell (1889–1968)	B.A. 1916; LL. B. 1916	Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court	[140]
Richard G. Kopf (b. 1946)	J. D. 1972	District judge of the District Court for the District of Nebraska	[141]
Robert Van Pelt (1897–1988)	LL. B. 1922	District judge of the District Court for the District of Nebraska	[142]

Other political figures

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
Grace Abbott (1878–1939)	B.A. 1907	Social worker, immigrants' rights and child welfare advocate
Nasser al-Awlaki (1946–2021)	Ph.D. 1975	Yemeni scholar and politician
Emory Buckner (1877–1941)	B.A. 1904	34th Attorney for the Southern District of New York	[citation needed]
Mary Ann Hanusa (b. 1963)	M. A.	Director of the White House Office of Presidential Correspondence	[143]
Helen Klanderud (1937–2013)	J. D. 1991	Mayor of Aspen	[144]
Karen Muenster (b. 1942)		Democratic Minority Whip in the South Dakota Senate	[145]
Ted Muenster	B.S. 1962, M.A.	Democratic nominee in the 1990 United States Senate election in South Dakota, chief of staff to South Dakota Governor Richard F. Kneip	[146]
MK Pritzker (b. 1967)	B.A.	First Lady of Illinois	[147]
Mark Quandahl (b. 1961)	Law 1987	Attorney, director of Nebraska Department of Banking and Finance, chairman of the Nebraska Republican Party	[148]
J. Lee Rankin (1907–96)	LL. B. 1930	31st Solicitor General, general counsel to the Warren Commission	[149]
Ted Sorensen (1928–2010)	J. D. 1951	8th White House Counsel, special counsel and speechwriter for John F. Kennedy
Park Yong-man (1881–1928)	B.S. 1909	Korean independence activist

Military

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
Donald O. Aldridge (b. 1932)	B.S.	Air Force lieutenant general	[150]
Gary D. Brown (b. 1951)	J. D. 1987	Air Force colonel, Guantanamo Bay whistleblower
Lloyd M. Bucher (1927–2004)	B.S. 1953	Captain of the USS Pueblo
Duane H. Cassidy (1933–2016)	B.S. 1968	Air Force general, commander of Military Airlift Command and Transportation Command	[151]
Bruce P. Crandall (b. 1933)	B.A. 1969	Army colonel, helicopter pilot, Medal of Honor recipient	[152]
John Cusick (b. 1942)	M. A. 1971	42nd Quartermaster General of the Army	[153]
Galen B. Jackman (b. 1951)	B.A. 1973	Army major general
Theodore Kanamine (1929–2023)	Bachelor's degree; Law degree 1954	Brigadier general, first general officer of Japanese-American descent
Herman F. Kramer (1892–1964)	B.S. 1914	Army major general	[154][155]
Ben Kuroki (1917–2015)	B.A. 1950	Only Japanese American in the Army Air Forces to serve in combat in the Pacific theater of World War II	[156]
Michael D. Navrkal	B.S. 1984	Army National Guard brigadier general, Legion of Merit recipient
John J. Pershing (1860–1948)	LL. B. 1893	1st General of the Armies, commander of the American Expeditionary Force, recipient of the Order of the Bath, Legion of Honour, Order of the Companions of Honour, and 1932 Pulitzer Prize	[157]
Sidney Shachnow (1934–2018)	B.S.	Army major general, two-time Silver Star recipient, Holocaust survivor
Robert T. Smith (1918–95)	Did not graduate	World War II ace	[158]

Literature

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
Barbara Albright (1955–2006)	B.S.	Cookbook author	[159]
Bruce B. Brugmann (b. 1935)	B.A. 1957	Founder and editor of the San Francisco Bay Guardian	[160]
Eudora Bumstead (1860–92)	B.A. 1879	Poet, hymnwriter	[161]
Roxane Gay (b. 1974)	M. A. 2004	Writer, editor	[162]
Claire Jiménez	Ph.D. 2022	Novelist of What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez
Catherine Kidwell (1921–2002)	M. F. A. 1977	Novelist
Mary Pipher (b. 1947)	Ph.D. 1977	Clinical psychologist and author	[163][164]
Gayathri Prabhu (b. 1974)	Ph.D. 2011	Novelist	[165]
Mari Sandoz (1896–1966)	Did not graduate	Novelist, biographer, Newbery Medal recipient
Jim Thompson (1906–1977)	Did not graduate	Author, screenwriter

Science and technology

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
Bion J. Arnold (1861–1942)	M. S. 1897	Engineer, designer of the Interborough Rapid Transit system; "father of the third rail"
Henry Beachell (1906–2006)	B.S. 1930	Rice breeder, recipient of the 1987 Japan Prize and 1996 World Food Prize	[166]
Rolla Kent Beattie (1875–1960)	B.S. 1896; M. A. 1898	Botanist, plant pathologist	[167]
Margaret B. Fuller Boos (1892–1978)	Did not graduate	Pegmatite geologist, mapped Front Range urban corridor
Kay Brummond (b. 1962)	B.S. 1985	Synthetic chemist	[168]
Raychelle Burks (b. 1975)	Ph.D.	Analytical chemist	[169]
Montgomery Case (1882–1953)	Did not graduate	Civil engineer, designer of the George Washington Bridge	[170]
John Leland Champe (1895–1978)	B.A. 1921	Archaeologist
Frederic Clements (1874–1945)	B.S. 1894; M. A. 1896; Ph.D. 1898	Plant ecologist	[171]
Gladys Dick (1881–1963)	B.S. 1900	Co-inventor of scarlet fever vaccine	[172]
Jay Wright Forrester (1918–2016)	B.S. 1939	Computer engineer, systems scientist, inventor of magnetic-core memory
Gene V. Glass (b. 1940)	B.A./B.S. 1962	Statistician, inventor of meta-analysis
Richard Hamming (1915–98)	M. A. 1939	Mathematician, founder of Association for Computing Machinery, Turing Award recipient
Leta Stetter Hollingworth (1886–1939)	B.A. 1906	Psychologist	[173]
Brian A. Larkins (1946–2025)	B.S. 1969, PhD. 1974	Molecular biologist
William A. Mueller (1901–92)	B.S. 1922	Sound engineer, head of Warner Bros. sound department, two-time Academy Awards nominee
Donald Othmer (1904–95)	B.S. 1924	Inventor, philanthropist	[174]
Anne Plant	M. S. 1978	Biochemist	[175]
Charles H. Purcell (1883–1951)	B.S. 1906	Civil engineer, designer and engineer of the Bay Bridge	[176]
Christina Riesselman (b. 1977)	B.S. 2001	Paleoceanographer	[177]
Per Axel Rydberg (1860–1931)	B.S. 1891; M. A. 1895	Botanist, 1st curator of the New York Botanical Garden	[178]
Joel Stebbins (1878–1966)	B.S. 1899	Astronomer	[179]
Gerry Thomas (1922–2005)	B.A. 1948	Inventor of the TV dinner
Herbert John Webber (1865–1946)	B.S. 1889; M. A. 1990	Plant physiologist	[180]
Gerald Weinberg (1933–2018)	B.S. 1955	Computer scientist, author	[181]
Evan Williams (b. 1972)	Did not graduate	Co-founder of Twitter	[182]

Athletics

Baseball

See also: Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball § MLB players

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
Darin Erstad (b. 1974)	B.S. 2020	MLB outfielder; college baseball manager	[183]
Bill Kinnamon (1919–2011)	B.S. 1941	MLB umpire	[184]

Basketball

See also: Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball § Players

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
Tyronn Lue (b. 1977)	Did not graduate	NBA point guard and head coach	[185]
Terran Petteway (b. 1992)		basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League

Football

See also: Nebraska Cornhuskers football § Cornhuskers in the NFL, and List of Nebraska Cornhuskers in the NFL draft

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
Ben Beck (1889–1968)	B.S.	College football coach, college basketball coach	[186]
Clete Blakeman (b. 1964)	Law 1991	NFL head official, lawyer	[187]
Earl W. Brannon (1889–1952)	1913	College football coach	[188]
Guy Chamberlin (1894–1967)	B.S. 1916	NFL head coach, Pro Football Hall of Fame; College Football Hall of Fame	[189]
Will Compton (b. 1989)	B.A. 2011	NFL linebacker; Media influencer	[190]
Scott Frost (b. 1975)	B.S. 1997	NFL safety; college football quarterback and head coach	[191]
Turner Gill (b. 1962)	Did not graduate	College football quarterback and head coach	[192]
Tom Osborne (b. 1937)	M. A. 1963; Ph.D. 1965	College football head coach, College Football Hall of Fame; Representative from Nebraska	[193]
Frank Solich (b. 1944)	B.A. 1966; M. A. 1972	College football fullback and head coach	[194]
Zac Taylor (b. 1962)	B.S. 2006	NFL head coach	[195]
Pat Tyrance (b. 1968)	B.S. 1990	College football linebacker, orthopedic surgeon	[196][197]

Other sports

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
Therese Alshammar (b. 1977)	B.A. 1999	Swimmer, three-time Olympic medalist	[198]
Gary Anderson (b. 1939)	Did not graduate	Sport shooter, two-time Olympic gold medalist, member of Nebraska Legislature	[199]
Daniel Brand (1935–2015)	1958	Greco-Roman wrestler, 1964 Olympics bronze medalist
Jordan Burroughs (b. 1988)	B.A. 2011	Freestyle wrestler, 2012 Olympics gold medalist; two-time national champion	[200]
Dani Busboom Kelly (b. 1985)	B.A. 2007	Cornhuskers volleyball player (2003–2006), later assistant coach (2012–2016) and current head coach (2025–present)	[201]
Rulon Gardner (b. 1971)	B.A. 1993	Greco-Roman wrestler, two-time Olympic medalist
Jessie Graff (b. 1984)	B.A. 2007	Stunt performer, American Ninja Warrior competitor	[202]
Penelope Heyns (b. 1974)	B.A. 1996	Swimmer, three-time Olympic medalist	[203]
Jason High (b. 1981)	B.A. 2004	Mixed martial artist	[204]
Jordan Larson (b. 1986)	B.A. 2008	Indoor volleyball player, three-time Olympic medalist	[205]
Matt Lindland (b. 1970)	Did not graduate	Mixed martial artist, 2000 Olympics silver medalist	[206]
Priscilla Lopes-Schliep (b. 1982)	B.S. 2004	Hurdler, 2008 Olympics bronze medalist	[207]
Merlene Ottey (b. 1960)	B.A. 1984	Sprinter, nine-time Olympic medalist
Sarah Pavan (b. 1986)	B.S. 2008	Volleyball player; 2006 AVCA Player of the Year
Louise Pound (1872–1958)	B. B. 1892; M. A. 1895	Folklorist, linguist, tennis player
Russ Rose (b. 1953)	M. S. 1978	Volleyball coach, AVCA Hall of Fame	[208]
Ryan Schultz (b. 1977)	B.S.	Mixed martial artist	[209]
Curtis Tomasevicz (b. 1980)	B.S. 2003; M. S. 2006; Ph.D. 2017	Bobsledder, two-time Olympic medalist	[210]
Brad Vering (b. 1977)	B.S. 2001	Greco-Roman wrestler
Frederick Wedge (1880–1953)	Did not graduate	Boxer, clergyman
Justine Wong-Orantes (b. 1995)	B.S. 2016	Indoor volleyball player, 2020 Olympics gold medalist	[211]

Faculty

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
Charles Edwin Bessey (1845–1915)	Chancellor, dean	Botanist, inventor of the Bessey system
Dana X. Bible (1891–1980)	Football coach, athletic director	Two-time national champion, College Football Hall of Fame
Hank M. Bounds (b. 1967)	President	Academic administrator	[212]
Bill Callahan (b. 1956)	Football coach	NFL head coach, 2002 AFC champion
John Cook (b. 1956)	Volleyball coach	Four-time national champion, AVCA Hall of Fame
Bob Devaney (1915–97)	Football coach, athletic director	Two-time national champion, College Football Hall of Fame
August Hjalmar Edgren (1840–1903)	Professor, honorary doctorate 1902	Linguist	[213]
Edmund Burke Fairfield (1821–1904)	Chancellor	Minister, 12th lieutenant governor of Michigan	[214]
Herb Howe (1942–2012)	Department chair	Psychologist
Rachel Lloyd (1839–1900)	Chemistry Department head	First American woman to receive a Ph.D. in chemistry; noted for her work on the chemistry and agriculture of sugar beets	[215]
August Luebs (1889–1989)	Professor	Mechanical engineer
Bo Pelini (b. 1967)	Football coach	College football head coach
Terry Pettit (b. 1946)	Volleyball coach	1995 national champion, AVCA Hall of Fame
Laura Poppo (b. 1962)	Department chair	Researcher
Mike Riley (b. 1953)	Football coach	NFL head coach; two-time Grey Cup champion
Fielding H. Yost (1871–1946)	Football coach	Six-time national champion, College Football Hall of Fame